The purpose of this research is to examine the caregivers burden and depression according to cognition and daily living ability of dementia patients, and provide basic data for establishing a mediating nursing plan to help the caregivers.
The subjects...
The purpose of this research is to examine the caregivers burden and depression according to cognition and daily living ability of dementia patients, and provide basic data for establishing a mediating nursing plan to help the caregivers.
The subjects of this research were 124 caregivers of dementia diagnosed patients visiting the S hospital (located in Seoul) neurophsychiatric outpatient clinic. The tool developed by Zarit(1980) and standardized by Kwon, Joong-don(1995) were used to measure burden, and Radloff's(1977) CES-D(Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression) to measure depression. The cognition function was measured using the MMSE-K(Mini Mental State Examination-Korean), and daily living ability using the ADL(Activity Daily Living) and the IADL(Instrumental -Activity Daily Living). Data were analyzed by SAS 9.13 to deduct real numbers, ratios, averages, and standard deviations, t-test, ANOVA and Scheffe test
The results of this research are as following.
1. General features of the caregivers are as following; The majority of the caregivers were women(63.7%), aging over 60s(33.8%), and mostly being the spouse of the patient(37.9%), which was followed by being daughters(27.4%). Most of them were highschool graduates or above (33.8%), married(85.4%), and had no job(59.4%). 70% had a monthly income exceeding 2 million won, and had 3 to 4 family members (45.1%). Most of them had had 3 to 5 years' experience looking after the patients.
2. Cognition abilities of patients variated from 4 to 26, and the average turned out to be 16.47±4.83.
3. Daily living ability scaled on a 5 point criterion, showed an average of 3.43±1.26 points, and the following activities required the most support in sequential order; Bank utilization(72.4%), marketing(66%), going outdoors(52.0%), laundry(50.9%), taking a shower or bath(45.1%).
4. The pressure of caregivers was scaled from 28 to 129 points with an average of 70.31±24.81, showing a high level of burden, and depression from 0 to 52 points with an average of 16.82±11.65 points.
5. Relationship between the burden and depression of caregiver, and general features of the caregiver was significant in such case that the caregiver being a woman(F=-3.08, p=.0002) or having no job(F=-2.98, p=.004) or being the patient's spouse(F=2.48, p=.035). Significancy rate was high if the caregiver was a spouse(F=.89, p=.016), or if the caregiver had over 5 years of experience looking after the patient
(F=3.42, p=.019).
6. Significance between patient cognitive ability and burden of caregiver were shown as such; If MMSE points were measured lower than 16, burden was 76.37±25.09 and depression 15.45±12.01, which was more significant than in the case of it being higher than 16.
7. Daily living ability was scaled on a 5 point criterion of which average was 3.43±1.26. The burden of the caregiver according to daily living ability was deducted as following; 87.81±23.7 point burden when living ability scored 1 to 2, a situation in which patient needs assistance at all times, 71.41±20.16 point burden when living ability scored 2 to 4, a situation in which patient needs half-and-half help, and 60.80±25.55 burden when living ability scored over 4, a situation in which the patient can live almost on him/herself. The burden was highest when the living ability score was 1 to 2, and also was statistically significant (F=10.65, p<.0001). Depression of caregiver was variated as following; 21.59±14.35 when living ability score is 1 to 2, 11.45±9.72 when living ability score is 2 to 4, 10.65±8.94 when living ability score is over 4. Depression was highest when living ability score was in the range of 1 to 2, and was also statistically significant (F=9.40, p=.000).
From the above results, according to cognitive and daily living ability of the patient, burden and depression of the caregiver, differential nursing should be provided, and development of a nursing intervention reflecting the individual needs and features is required.